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A yo-yo club, yo-yo side or yo-yo team is a football club that is ​repeatedly promoted and relegated. The name is derived from the toy yo-yo which goes up and down a string. The phrase is most typically used in the United Kingdom, especially in reference to promotion to and relegation from the Premier League.

In Germany the equivalent term is Fahrstuhlmannschaft and in Spain equipo ascensor, both meaning "lift team" or "elevator team". In the Netherlands the term is heen-en-weer club, which literally means "to-and-fro club". In Polish, yo-yo clubs are referred to as wańka-wstańka, which translates to "roly-poly toy".

Notorious yo-yo clubs

Records

The amateur side Hong Kong FC holds the record for most relegations from and promotions to a top division. In total, they changed divisions 28 times - all since the end of World War II. They debuted in the Hong Kong First Division in 1947 and managed to stay on top for eleven seasons. They relegated in 1958 and promoted again in 1966, but from that point never played at the top for more than four years. Starting in 1973 they even switched divisions for seven consecutive years. In 2014 the professional Hong Kong Premier League was established, making it unlikely Hong Kong FC will continue to be a yo-yo club.

Hong Kong FC were not the first side to be promoted to and relegated from a top tier for seven consecutive seasons. Through the 1950s, German team BFC Südring bounced back and forth between the top tier Oberliga Berlin and the Amateurliga Berlin. Their record of ten consecutive promotions and relegations has never been broken since. It should be noted, though, that the Oberliga Berlin was not a nation-wide top tier league. The record for most consecutive movements involving a national top-tier was set by the Galician club Celta de Vigo. Between 1975 and 1983 they changed divisions nine times. Their series, however, also included one season in the thirth tier of Spanish football, which was played in regional groups. This means they were also relegated and promoted for two seasons in a row.

Another Galician club, Deportivo La Coruña, set the record for most consecutive relegations and promotions involving two national top-tier leagues. Between 1962 and 1967 they switched between the Primera División and the Segunda División for seven consecutive years. Their record was only bettered 20 years later by the Norwegian team SK Brann, who were promoted to the 1. Divisjon in every odd-numbered year and relegated in every even-numbered year between 1979 and 1987. The current record holders are Cypriot club Aris Limassol. Starting in 1997, they alternated for ten consecutive seasons between the Cypriot First Division and Second Division. They managed to remain at the top level after the 2006-07 season, but were again relegated the next year. They then immediately started a new series of consecutive relegations and promotions. Since 2008, Aris have again exchanged the top two divisions in each season and thus in 2015 equaled the previous record of SK Brann for the second time. In total, they have now changed divisions 28 times since the start of World War II, which means they will break the all-time record of Hong Kong FC if they again relegate from the Cypriot First Division.

Merger of yo-yo clubs

Two other teams from southern Cyprus, APOP Paphos and Evagoras Paphos, were infamous yo-yo clubs too. Both teams from the city of Paphos were relegated from the highest division eight times since the end of the 1960s. Neither team managed to stay in the top flight for more than eight years. In order to establish a stable team in first division, the two clubs were merged in 2000 to form AEP Paphos. The new team, however, continued to be a yo-yo club, changing between the two divisions every two years on average before they were merged into yet another team, Pafos FC, in 2014.

A merger between yo-yo clubs can, however, prove to be successful. F91 Dudelange has never been relegated from the Luxembourg National Division and has been national champions eleven times. The club was formed in 1991 after a merger between Alliance Dudelange, Stade Dudelange and US Dudelange. Starting in the 1960s, Alliance and Stade moved eleven times between the top two divisions in less than a quarter of a century. Stade even had done exactly the same before World War II; changing between the two top divisions eleven times between 1915 and 1936. The thirth team, Union Sportive, moved between these tiers seven times both before and after WWII.

Besides Stade and Union Sportive, only three other teams outside Great Britain have alternated between the two top divisions more than five times both before and after the start of WWII. One of them is FC Aris Bonnevoie, yet another team from Luxembourg that is now part of the more lucrative Racing FC. The other two teams are KV Mechelen and Racing Mechelen, both from the same city in Belgium. There have been multiple plans to unify both teams, but these never took place as the teams are fierce rivals.

Successful yo-yo clubs

Oddly enough, Stade Dudelange also won ten national titles and four cup titles in between thier two yo-yo periods, making them not only one of the greatest yo-yo clubs, but also one of the most successful clubs of Luxembourg. Stade Dudelange were not the only team to combine yo-yo periods with more fortunate spells. A striking example is that of Djurgårdens from Stockholm in Sweden. They were a flourishing team in the first quarter of the 20th century, playing in the top tier Svenska Serien and becoming Swedish champions four times, a title which then was awarded to the winner of the Svenska Mästerskapet. In 1924 they were however relegated to the second division. Djurgårdens promoted to the newly formed Allsvenskan three years later, but were relegated at the end of that season. The were promoted back another two times, but never managed to play more than three years at the top. Their fourth promotion in 1949 was the beginning of a second lucrative period, in which they won four more titles. But even during this period they managed to be relegated, a feat which happened in 1960 when they were reigning Swedish champion. In the last two decades of the century they became a yo-yo side again, changing between the top two divisions ten times. They have, however, never been relegated since the start of the 21st century, and have won another six national and cup titles.

There are many more examples of teams that once were prosperous, but later became yo-yo clubs. With nine championship titles and three cup titles, Nürnberg were the most successful club during the biggest part of German football history. They were however relegated from the Bundesliga as reigning champions in 1969 and have changed divisions fourteen times since. Likewise, Torino managed to win the Italian Serie A eight times (one title was later revoked), the Coppa Italia five times and only lost the final of the UEFA Cup in 1992 on away goals rule. By that time, however, they already started a series of ten division changes in less than 25 years. In England, Sunderland won six First Division titles before WWII, but relegated from that division eight times since 1958. First Vienna became Austrian champions six times in 24 years time, but later suffered an equal amount of relegations from the top division in the same time span.

The opposite also exists. Teams that once were a yo-yo side, can become thriving afterwards. Austria Salzburg relegated from the Austrian top tier six times between 1957 and 1985. In the 1990s they became a stable team and won the Austrian championships three times. In 2005 the club was bought by an energy drink producer and rebranded into Red Bull Salzburg, after which the team won another six titles. In the Soviet Union, Dinamo Minsk moved twelve times between the top two divisions before their final promotion in 1978. They became Soviet champion in 1982, and since the establishment of the Belarusian Premier League have won another seven national titles. Similarly, Vardar switched divisions fifteen times in Yugoslav times, but have never relegated from the Macedonian First League, a league they have won a record eight times. The later succes of the latter two teams can of course largely be attributed to the fact these team continued competing in a less competitive national top tier.

English yo-yo clubs

In England the phrase has been used to describe, among others, Birmingham City, West Bromwich Albion, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Sunderland and Leicester City.

Manchester City have been relegated and promoted 23 times. After their tenth and last relegation from the Premier League in 2001, they even held the record for most relegations from the top. They are, however, seldomly considered as having been a yo-yo side, in part because they have been successful troughout their history, but also because the divisional changes took place over an extended period of time. They gained promotion to the First Division for the first time in 1899 and spent 63 of the following 73 seasons in the top tier, suffering relegation to the Second Division six times. They were however relegated twice in the 1980s, and two years after another relegation in 1996 they dropped into the Third Division for the first time in their history. Another thriving club, Chelsea, have changed divisions thirteen times. They were an established top tier team for most of their history, spending just one season outside the top-flight between 1930 and 1975. They then went through three relegations and promotions between 1975 and 1989, before re-establishing themselves in the top-flight once again.

The record for most relegations from the Premier League is currently held by Crystal Palace. In ten years time they promoted to and relegated from the Premier League four times. They were also promoted to the First Division every ten years since 1969. In each instance they were relegated during the following quadrennium. Their first three spells in the Premier League only lasted one year. Their last promotion to the Premier League happened in 2013, but they have yet to prove they can stay on top for more than four years.

West Midlands yo-yo clubs

Birmingham City season-end standings

Birmingham City have been promoted to and relegated from the top division 12 times, breaking the record previously held by Manchester City. Birmingham were promoted to Division One for the first time in 1894 and relegated two years later. Their next promotion came in 1901, and was followed immediately by relegation in 1902 and a third promotion in 1903. This time they lasted five years in the First Division, before relegating again in 1908. The following seventy years were comparatively stable, although Birmingham nevertheless went trough three relegations and four promotions. From 1921 to 1939, Birmingham enjoyed its longest spell in the top tier. After their seventh relegation in 1979, they were promoted at the first attempt. The same happened in 1984 and 1985, but after their ninth relegation, in 1986, they spent 16 years out of the top flight. During these seasons Birmingham also had two separate spells in the Third Division. Birmingham were promoted to the Premier League for the first time in 2002. Their first spell in this league lasted four years, but in the four years from 2006 to 2009 they were relegated twice and promoted twice. In 2011 they were relegated again, which was the eighth this had happened since 1979. Six of these relegations were between the top two divisions.

West Bromwich Albion season-end standings

West Bromwich Albion have had a somewhat similar league performance history as Birmingham City. They too were relegared in 1986 and spent the next 16 years out of the top flight. And they too were a yo-yo side throughout the first decade of the 21st-century, during which time they were promoted four times and relegated three times. In 2005 they achieved what has become known as The Great Escape, when they became the first club ever to avoid relegation from the Premier League after being in bottom place at Christmas. 2011 was the first year since 1999 that they were not involved in either a promotion or a relegation battle, in most cases right up to the last match of the season. This continuous fight against relegation was seen by some to be a direct result of the policies espoused by the club's chairman Jeremy Peace, who refused to allow the club to spend beyond its means and has insisted on sound financial management. This tended to leave the club at a disadvantage in the Premier League, when other similarly-sized clubs have tended to spend beyond their means, but strongly placed in the second tier, The Championship, due to the parachute payments received on relegation from the Premier League. West Brom has in recent years lost this reputation due to successfully staying in the Premier League.

Another club from the West Midlands, Wolverhampton Wanderers, were one of the most infamous yo-yo clubs during the 1980s. They began the decade on a high by winning the League Cup in 1980, only to suffer relegation to the Second Division and narrowly avoid bankruptcy two years later. They regained their First Division status at the first attempt, only to endure successive relegations over the next few seasons and slip into the Fourth Division for the first time in 1986. Fourth Division championship glory came two seasons later, and the following year the Wolves enjoyed promotion once again. During the 1980s, Wolverhampton moved between divisions seven times in eight seasons. They have spent all but one of their 17 subsequent seasons in the league's second tier, having been in the Premiership during the 2003-04 season. The Wolves won the Championship in 2009, but were relegated in 2012 after three years in the premier division and relegated again a year later. They finally returned to the second level at the first attempt in 2014.

Yorkshire yo-yo's

Middlesbrough changed divisions ten times in the sixteen years from 1982 to 1998. Following relegation in 1954 they had been out of the First Division for twenty years, and in 1966 had dropped into the Third Division for the first time in their history. After regaining their First Division place in 1974 they were relegated again in 1982, and in 1986 they dropped into the Third Division again. This time they almost went out of business, but they quickly recovered and managed to get promoted two years in a row. They lasted only one season in the First Division, and spent three more years in the second tier before winning promotion to the newly created Premier League in 1992. They stayed there for only one season, but regained their Premier League place two years later as First Division champions. Two years later, a three-point penalty for failing to fulfil a fixture cost Boro their Premier League status. This time they regained it at the first attempt, and they held on to it for eleven years until 2009.

Sheffield Wednesday season-end standings

Prior to World War II, Sheffield Wednesday was one of England's most successful clubs; winning four League titles and three F.A. Cups. They were relegated to the Second Division in 1937, and after promotion in 1950 they experienced three more relegations in the next eight years. Each time they won promotion at the first attempt, and it was their manager Eric Taylor who referred to this period as the yo-yo years. After their fourth promotion in nine years, in 1959, Wednesday remained in the First Division until 1970. But in 1975 they dropped into the Third Division for the first time. In 2010 they began their third spell at this level. In May 2012, however, they were promoted back to the Championship. Since 1970 they have had two periods in the top flight - totalling 14 seasons - but they have never repeated the frequent ups and downs of the 1950s.

Just as Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland too won seven League and Cup titles before World War II. After the war, they could not recreate their previous succes and were relegated from the top tier eight times. In 1987 they reached the lowest ebb in their history by slipping into the Third Division. They were promoted at the first attempt and by 1990 had reached the First Division again, only to lose their status after that season. They reached the Premiership as Division One champions in 1996 but again relegated immediately. Sunderland returned to the Premiership in 1999 and finished seventh in both of the following two seasons, but by 2003 an increasing difficulty in finding the net had caught up with them and they were relegated from the top flight after collecting a record low of only 19 points. They won the newly-named Championship title in 2005 but once more suffered immediate relegation, breaking their own record of lowest amount of points scored in a season. In 2006-07, they were able to win the Championship title to be promoted to the Premier League. This was their 12th movement in 23 years, but since 2007 the Black Cats have managed to stay on top.

More yo-yo clubs from the Midlands

Together with Sunderland, Leicester City are the only English team to have dropped from the top tier five times in a quart of a century. They relegated from the First Division in 1981 and 1987, and had three separate spells in the Premier League between 1994 and 2004. The second of these spells lasted six years (1996 to 2002), but the other two lasted only one year each (1994-95 and 2003-04). After each of the first two relegations they returned to the Premier League after only one season, but after being relegated in 2004, they were out of the top flight for ten seasons. In 2008 they were relegated to League One (the old Third Division) for the first time, but they were promoted back to the Championship at the first attempt. The team eventually were promoted back to the Premier League in 2013-14, making a total of five promotions and three relegations in 20 years.

Notts County season-end standings

Taking all tiers into account, Notts County can be considered the biggest yo-yo club, switching divisions a total of 29 times in their history. Notts County have spent a total of thirty seasons in the top flight, all of which were in Division One. They have never played in the Premiership, as they suffered relegation from the old First Division the season before it became the Premiership. They have spent a further 37 seasons in the second tier, 31 in the third tier, and 15 in the fourth tier. After their last relegation in 2015, they again play at the fourth level of English football.

Promotion years: 1897, 1914, 1923, 1931, 1950, 1960, 1971, 1973, 1981, 1990, 1991, 1998, 2010
Relegation years: 1893, 1913, 1920, 1926, 1930, 1935, 1958, 1959, 1964, 1984, 1985, 1992, 1995, 1997, 2004, 2015

Overall total

The table below shows the total number of relegations and promotions (of select clubs) between the top four tiers of English football as of the beginning of the 2015-16 season.

No.	Team	Promotions	Relegations	Total
1	Notts County	13	16	29
2	Birmingham City	14	14	28
	Grimsby Town	12	16	28
3	Leicester City	11	11	22
4	Manchester City	11	10	21
5	Bolton Wanderers	9	10	19
6	West Bromwich Albion	9	9	18
	Sheffield Wednesday	9	9	18
	Stoke City	8	10	18
8	Sunderland	9	8	17
	Reading	9	8	17
	Barnsley	8	9	17
	Plymouth Argyle	8	9	17
9	Middlesbrough	8	8	16
10	Portsmouth	9	6	15
	Watford	9	6	15
	Derby County	7	8	15
11	Sheffield United	7	7	14
	Crystal Palace	7	6	13

Yo-yo clubs in mainland Europe

Germany

For most part of the history of the German league system, the top tier was formed by regional leagues. In 1933, a myriad of local competitions was restructured into sixteen Gauligen, which after the war were replaced by five Oberligen. These leagues became the second level - known as Regionalligen - after the creation of the nationwide Bundesliga in 1963, until these again moved down one tier in 1974 with the start of the 2. Bundesliga. In 2008 the 3. Liga replaced the Regionalligen - which were re-founded in 1994 - as the thirth tier, creating the current league system. Due to the continuous restructuring of leagues, teams have changed tiers without being relegated or promoted, and vice versa.

This happened multiple times to Bayer Uerdingen. After World War II they competed a full decade in the Bezirksklasse, which initialy was the second tier. But after the creation of the Oberliga West and the 2. Oberliga West in 1947 and 1949, respectively, the Bezirksklasse ended up being the fourth tier. In 1956 Uerdingen promoted to the Landesliga Niederrhein, but because the same year the Verbandsliga Niederrhein was put in place as a new thirth tier, Uerdingen neverteless continued playing in a fourth-level division. In 1963 they finally moved up, and so did again in 1971. After participating in the inaugural 2. Bundesliga, they promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time. This was the beginning of a period in which they moved to and from the top ten times in just over twenty years. Between 1983 and 1991 they nevertheless enjoyed a longer spell at the top, even winning the DFB-Pokal in 1985. They started moving down the league pyramid in 1996, immediatly dropping from the fourth to the sixth tier in 2008 after the 3. Liga was put in place.

Another team from North Rhine-Westphalia formed in 1905, Arminia Bielefeld, relegated from and promoted to a new tier 28 times. Before World War II, they only spent two spells outside the top. The first of these started in 1910 and did not involve a relegation, as a new top tier, the Zehnerliga, was created which was reserved only for teams from the Rhine-Ruhr region. After the war, Bielefeld's two longest spells in the same division both lasted eight years, which were in the thirth and second tier from 1954 onwards. Their first promotion to the Bundesliga came in 1970, but they relegated again two years later. Another promotion in 1978 was followed by immediate relegation. Their two longest spells in the Bundesliga both lasted five years, starting in 1980 and 2004. After the latter spell they suffered their seventh and final relegation from the Bundesliga.

VfL Bochum, MSV Duisburg and 1.FC Köln, three other sides from North Rhine-Westphalia, have become infamous yo-yo clubs too. In the past quarter of a century, they all promoted to and dropped from the top level ten times or more. In that time, all three teams failed to play more than four consecutive seasons on top. Duisburg even experienced two seasons in the 3. Liga between 2013 and 2015. Duisburg were subsequently promoted to the 2. Bundesliga, where they now join Bochum. Köln promoted to the Bundesliga for the fifth time in 2014. Remarkable is the fact that Köln were a very successful side in postwar Germany, winning three German championships, including the inaugural Bundesliga, and finishing in second place seven times. They also won the DFB-Pokal on four occasions, besides participating in yet another six Cup finals.

Köln were not the first thriving German team to become a yo-yo side. Before World War II, Nürnberg won nine championship titles, a record only broken by Bayern Munich in 1987. They relegated for the first time in 1969, the season after they became German champions for the last time. Since then, they have spent more than twenty seasons outside the top tier, including one season in thirth-tier. In 2014 Nürnberg dropped from the top an eight time, breaking their own record for most relegations from the Bundesliga.

In the now defunct East German football league, there were a few yo-yo sides a well. Hansa Rostock were a very competitive side in the DDR-Oberliga, and they became vice-champions three times between 1962 and 1964. But from 1975 onwards, the club relegated to the DDR-Liga for a single season on four different occasions. Their last promotion to the DDR-Oberliga took place in 1987, after which they spent the next five years in the high flight, winning their first title in the final season of East German football and participating in the unified Bundesliga in the 1991-92 season. In that season Hansa finished in the relegation zone after falling just a single point shy. But in 1995 they returned to the top for the next decennium to come. Since 2005, the have changed divisions six times, and now play in the 3. Liga.

Union Berlin, another team from the old DDR, yo-yoed between the Oberliga and the DDR-Liga since its restart in 1966. They never played more than four consecutive seasons at the top, and finally relegated in 1989. Union have not yet played in the Bundesliga, but in recent years have become a stable team in second division.

France

Alsacian team Racing Club de Strasbourg have promoted to and relegated from the French top division 20 times. They did, however, enjoy multiple successful spells in the high flight and never spent more than three consecutive years in Division 2. Their most fruitful periods were between 1961 and 1971, when they also won both the Coupe de la Ligue and Coupe de France, between 1977 and 1986, when they became French champions and subsequently reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup, and between 1992 and 2001, when they won another two cup titles. The last of these cup wins took place after spending an entire season in the bottom three and thus being relegated. They immediatly gained promotion, spent four more years on top while winning a thirth Coupe de la Ligue, before being relegated in 2006. Another promotion was followed by immediate relegation, mainly due to eleven consecutive defeats, which is a record for post-war football in France. Racing entered liquidation in 2001, eventualy ending up in the fifth tier.

LOSC were a thriving team in the decade after World War II, becoming French champions twice and winning five cup titles. Between 1956 and 1978 the team from Lille became a yo-yo side, relegating and promoting back five times. During that period they never managed to stay on top for more than four years. But since the end of the 70s, then only spent one three year-spell outside the top tier, an have become an absolute top-notch team once again.

Although they have not enjoyed the same succes as Lille, Breton team Stade Rennais are a stable Ligue 1 side as well. But between World War II and the first half of the 1990s, they moved to and from the top tier fifteen times. Another team that now plays in Ligue 1 are Stade Malherbe Caen. The team from Normandy are a contemporary yo-yo side, having changed between the top two divisions eleven times in the past quarter of a century. Other teams that recently have gone up and down a few times are Metz, Lens and Troyes, all from the north of the country. Of the five aforementioned clubs, only Lens could win a league title.

Netherlands

In the Netherlands the national top tier, the Eredivisie, was also installed well after the second World War. This happened in 1956, two years after the introduction of professional football. The second-level Eerste Divisie was created alongside the Eredivisie.

FC Volendam are known as the Heen-en-weer club (the to-and-fro club). They promoted to the Eredivisie in 1959, but were immediatly relegated. They then won promotion again, and lasted three years in the high flight, before being relegated again in 1964. They promoted four times more, but never played at the top for more than two seasons in a row, until their seventh promotion in 1987. This time they stayed on top for eleven seasons, finishing in sixth place on two occasions. After their relegation in 1998, they promoted two times more, only te be immediatly relegated. In 2013 they missed a tenth promotion by finishing in second place just one point short, and losing in the subsequent play-offs.

FC Den Bosch have more recently become a yo-yo side. They played seven consecutive seasons in the Eredivisie until 1990, when they relegated from this level for the thirth time. Den Bosch were promoted back four times, starting in 1992, when they won the Eerste Divisie play-offs, but each time suffered immediate relegation. They participated in nine more Eerste Divisie play-offs, each time failing to win promotion. It was during this period that futher international Ruud van Nistelrooy began his carreer at the club. Another team, De Graafschap, also promoted to and from the Eredivisie ten times in just over twenty years. They enjoyed a longer spell at this level between 1995 and 2003, but almost always had to fight against relegation. In 2015, De Graafschap promoted to the Eredivisie for the eighth time.

Central Europe

Polish club Wisła Płock is often referred to as a yo-yo club, or wańka-wstańka in Polish. Called Petrochemia Płock at the time, they promoted to I liga in 1994, but were relegated after one season. This happened again after their promotion in 1997. Their next promotion came in 2000, and this time they managed to avoid immediate relegation. However, the next season, known now as Orlen Płock, they were once again relegated. After the fourth promotion in 2002, they reverted to the original name Wisła Płock, and finally enjoyed relative stability, even reaching the Polish Cup final in 2003 and winning it in 2006. Relegation was again in order in 2007, and they haven't returned to the top since. Two other Polish clubs, Gwardia Warszawa and Odra Opole, both managed two switch between the top two divisions eleven times in under 25 years time. They relegated to II liga in the early 1980s and now play in Polish amateur divisions. Cracovia, which is the Latin name for their hometown Kraków, are the oldest Polish football club. They have changed between the two major tiers seventeen times, with most of these changes happening after the 1950s. Prior to that they were a dominant Polish side, winning five championship titles.

Bohemians Praha, Spartak Hradec Králové and Viktoria Plzeň all relegated ten times from the Czechoslovak and Czech First League since World War II. Bohemians' longest spell in the high flight was between 1973 and 1995. It was during the first half of this period that Antonín Panenka played for the club and they won their first and only title, although Panenka had left for Rapid Wien by then (from whom Bohemians lost in their subsequent European Cup campaign). The club has never played more than four consecutive seasons in the Czech First League, and in 2005 even relegated to the third division following severe financial difficulties. Since 2013 they again play in the high flight. Viktoria Plzeň has not relegated from that level since 2005, and have become quite thriving in recent years. They won three championship titles and have never finished outside the top three in the past five years. Hradec Králové, on the other hand, relegated to the FNL in 2015. Since WWII, they have spent more time in the second level than on top.

Hungarian team Szombathelyi Haladás switched to and from the top league a staggering 27 times. After their last promotion in 2008, they immediatly ended up in thirth place, but they have yet to win a first title. Diósgyőri VTK, another team playing in the Hungarian League, managed to do this 21 times, all since the start of WWII. Szegedi EAC moved between the top two divisions 19 times, all in a time frame of just 37 years, starting with their first relegation in 1954 and ending with their tenth and last one in 1991.

Southern European yo-yo clubs

APOP Paphos

Aris Limassol

Besëlidhja Lezhë

Birkirkara

B 1909

Deportivo La Coruña

Evagoras Paphos

Lecce

CD Málaga

OTP

Panachaiki

Skënderbeu Korçë

SZEAC

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Teams that switched top tiers 15 times or more in 30 years

Some of the biggest yo-yo clubs come from southern Europe, in particular from the Mediterranean. The overall majority of professional clubs that moved between their top two divisions fifteen times or more in thirty years time come from this region. These clubs are Aris Limassol, APOP Paphos and Evagoras Paphos from Cyprus, Besëlidhja Lezhë and Skënderbeu Korçë from Albania, Panachaiki from Greece, Birkirkara from Malta, US Lecce from Apulia in Italy and CD Málaga from Andalusia in Spain.

Spain

Real Betis from Sevilla have switched between the Primera and Segunda División 23 times. Their first promotion to La Liga came in 1932, when they became the first Andalusian team to do so, and their twelfth and last one happened in 2015. Their longest spell at the top lasted a full decade in the 1980s. CD Málaga, another team from Andalusia, have gone up and down once less, but they did all this in a time frame of just over four decades. They were dissolved in 1992 after financial difficulties, but the reserve team continued playing, took the name Málaga CF, and now consider themselves the official successors of CD Málaga. Málaga CF reached the top for the first time in 2000, and have not relegated from that level since 2008, thus being the first team from Malaga to play this many consecutive seasons in La Liga. Their main rivals, Granada CF, have not played more than eight ensuing seasons in La Liga too. They are, however, not generally considered a yo-yo side, as they have spent the majority of seasons in lower divisions.

Just like CD Málaga, Real Murcia has promoted to La Liga eleven times. 2008 was however their last year at this level, and they now compete in the Segunda División B, which is the third level. Unlike the teams previously mentioned, they never managed to finish in the top-ten.

The two La Liga teams from Galicia, Celta de Vigo and Deportivo La Coruña, are probably Spain's most infamous yo-yo sides. Both teams relegated from the high flight ten times. Celta de Vigo had its most turbulent period from 1975 to 1983, making nine movements between three divisions. Deportivo La Coruña set a record for most consecutive relegations and promotions involving two national top-tier leagues between 1962 and 1967, when they switched divisions for seven consecutive years. Both teams had a more stable period starting in the early 1990s, during which Deportivo La Coruña became the most thriving of the two. Deportivo finished in the top three on nine occasions, won their first title in the 1999-00 season and also won the Copa del Rey two times and reached the semi-final of the 2003–04 Champions League. Both teams have, nevertheless, experienced two more relegations and subsequent promotions since then. At the end of the 2014-15 season, the Galician derby has been played 64 times in the Primera División, 44 times in the Segunda División and two times in the Segunda División B.

Portugal

Beira-Mar have been promoted to the Primeira Liga ten times, and also suffered an equal amount of relegations. In 1976 Portuguese legend Eusébio briefly joined the team. He played twelve games and scored three goals, often being injured as the campaign ended in relegation. Exactly thirty years later the same happened when Mário Jardel, another legend in the twilight of his career, joined the club. He too made twelve appearances and scored three goals, and then too Beira-Mar relegated at the end of the season. Beira-Mar last played in the Primeira Liga in the 2012-13 season, and in 2015 were demoted to the bottom level of the Aveiro district due to financial problems.

Sporting de Espinho also play in the amateur levels of the Aveiro district. They relegated six times from the Primeira Liga between 1974 and 1997, only managing to stay on top for eleven seasons. Six times is also the number of relegations suffered by Atlético Clube de Portugal from Lisbon. The team, not to be confused with Sporting Clube de Portugal, were an infamous yo-yo side in the 1960s and 1970s. The same is true for Barreirense, who are based on the other side of the Tagus in the Setúbal district. Neither team have played in the Primeira Liga since the end of the 1970s. Vitória de Setúbal, experienced a yo-yo period from the mid-1980s to the mid-2000s, but have remained on top since 2004.

Italy

Lombard rivals Atalanta Bergamo and Brescia Calcio are both infamous yo-yo sides. They have switched between Serie A and Serie B 23 times, with fourteen of these movements happening since the end of the 1970s. Both teams also dropped to the Serie C1 in the early 1980s. Since that period, the longest spell of Atalanta in Serie A only lasted six years, while Brescia had an uninterrupted run on top between 2000 and 2005. This was Brescia's longest spell in Serie A since participating in its inaugural 1929-30 season. The succes during these first years of the new century can largely be attributed to the presence of former FIFA World Player of the Year Roberto Baggio, who ended his career at the club. Some years earlier, Andrea Pirlo started his career at Brescia, although that did not stop the yo-yo. In 2010, Brescia promoted to Serie A and Atalanta dropped to Serie B. At the end of that season, for the twelfth time, Brescia were relegated and Atalanta got promoted. The Lombard derby between the two was last played in April 2006. Of these derbies, 24 were played in Serie A and 26 in Serie B.

Torino and Verona, two other clubs from the north that play in Serie A, have also gone up and down a few times. Torino was one of Italy's more successful sides, especially in the 1940s when the Grande Torino squad became five times Italian champion and also won the Coppa Italia. That team perished in the Superga air disaster, but the club was rebuild and in 1976 won their seventh title, alongside three more Cup wins. In the 1991–92 UEFA Cup Torino ousted Real Madrid in the semi-finals, only to lose the European title to Ajax on away goals rule. By that time, however, Torino already started a series of ten division changes in less than 25 years, caused in part by financial difficulties. The team even went bankrupt in 2005 and had to be reestablished. The same happened to Hellas Verona in 1991, when they too where in the midst of ten movements in less than a quarter of a century. They combined this yo-yo period with a more lucrative stay on the top between 1982 and 1990, in which they won the Italian title and twice reached the Cup final. In 2013 they promoted back to the high flight after an eleven year stay in second and thirth tier.

Sicilian team Palermo is a former yo-yo side that in the past decade has become a stable Serie A side. Palermo bounced up and down between the top two Italian leagues twelve times from 1948 to 1973. They rejoined Serie A after an absence of more than three decades in 2004, and immediatly finished in sixth place, securing qualification for the UEFA Cup for the first time in their history. Since then, they only spent the 2013-14 season outside the top tier.

The biggest yo-yo club in the history of Italian football is arguably US Lecce. The Apulian team have switched divisions a staggering sixteen times since first promoting to Serie A in 1985, thus experiencing all these promotions and relegations in less than thirty years time. They never played more than three seasons in a row in the high flight. Pisa, who play their matches near the Leaning Tower, have gone up and down the ladder ten times between their first promotion to Serie A in 1968 and their last relegation from it in 1991. They never managed to stay on top for more than two seasons. In 2008 Pisa lost to Lecce in the promotion playoff final to Serie A. Both teams now play in the third-tier Lega Pro.

Turkey

In Turkey a yo-yo club is called asansör takım, meaning "elevator team". Samsunspor and Kayserispor have been the biggest asansör takımlar in Turkish football history. Until the 1990s they moved between the First and Second League eleven en ten times, respectively, in a period of just 25 years. Samsunspor later became more stable as they had a longer spell in the high flight between 1993 and 2006. Their seventh and last promotion to the top in 2011 was followed by immediate relegation. Kayserispor never played at the top for more than four years in a row, before they too became more stable. After their sixth promotion in 2004 they managed to stay on top for a full decade. They relegated again in 2014, but were immediatly promoted back.

Karşıyaka experienced two seperate yo-yo periods, as they relegated from the first level in 1964, 1967 and 1972, and again in 1991, 1994 and 1996. They also played in the third level between 1973 and 1980, and between 2001 and 2003.

A more recent yo-yo side is Sakaryaspor. They first promoted to the the elite league in 1981 and stayed there for five years, their longest spell to date. The second promotion in 1987 saw them staying on top for three years. Three more promotions, the first of these in 1998, all ended in immediate relegation. They almost promoted for a sixth time when they reached the play-offs in 2008, but this time they lost. Sakaryaspor relegated to the third level after the 2008-09 season, and returned to the second level for the 2010-11 season. This return was brief due to money shortage, and after two successive relegations in 2012 and 2013, they are now playing in the fourth level.

Yo-yo clubs in Latin America

Argentina

Quilmes have been relegated from the Argentine Primera División a record eleven times. These relegations, however, span a complete century, and thus Quilmes are seldomly refered to as a yo-yo side. After an eleven year stay in Nacional B, they returned to the high flight in 2003. Since then they go through the most instable period in their history, as they experienced two relegations and subsequent promotions in a decade time.

Arch-rivals Banfield and Lanús have moved to and from the Primera División 19 and 13 times, respectively, in the entire course of their histories. Lanús experienced a more unstable period in the 1970s, but have been unrelegated since 1992. Since Banfield returned in 2014, the derby between the two can be played once more.

Chili

Rangers de Talca first promoted to the Chilean Campeonato Nacional in 1952 and managed to stay on top for 24 years. Since their first demotion in the second half of the 1970's, they have become a notorious yo-yo club, moving up and down 17 times. Since 2014 they play in the Primera B for the ninth time.

Santiago Wanderers, the country’s oldest club, have a somewhat similar post-war league history. Before the second half of the 1970's, when they became a yo-yo side, they enjoyed a prolonged stay in the Campeonato Nacional, even winning two national titles. Between 1977 and 1999 they changed between the two major leagues ten times. Since the beginning of the new century they have become more stable again, even winning a third title in 2001, but nevertheless spend the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons in second tier.

Brazil

A national league, the Campeonato Brasileiro, was only established in 1971. There was no proper promotion system until 1980, and relegation was made possible only in 1987.

External links

• Yoyo teams worldwide (RSSSF)